A Twist in Time, Book II
by JediHanyou
Summary: The continuation of "A Twist in Time", an alternate timeline where Inuyasha is NOT sealed away for 50 years, resulting in a different - though all familiar - group of traveling shard-seekers. Chapter 5 posted July 4: a dangerous beast attacks! Expect a new chapter in about two weeks. If you like this story, please read the original, "A Twist in Time"!
1. What Has Come Before

All characters, named weapons, and attacks borrowed from _Inuyasha_ are not my own, but belong to Takahashi-_dono_.

"**What Has Come Before"**

A Brief Explanation by the Author

My Inuyasha Alternate Universe fic, "A Twist in Time" was based on a simple premise: what would have happened if Kikyou had _not_ sealed Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree? _This_ story is a continuation of _that_ one. I _highly_ recommend you read "A Twist in Time" first… it's really good, I promise!

On the other hand, I have provided this first chapter here as a short summary of the events that took place in that story; so if you'd rather just read this chapter and get _mostly_ caught up to speed, that's fine, just be warned: it is **full **of spoilers, and you will probably get very confused at some point. Or, if you have already read "A Twist in Time" but would like a refresher, here it is!

As a third option, you could ignore the first part of the tale and skip past this chapter entirely, and go straight to Chapter 2. You won't know why this particular group of characters is together (or who some of them are), but hey, what's life without a little mystery? If you know nothing else, at least be aware of this: this story takes place fifty years _before_ the original canon storyline does…

What Has Come Before (Prior Events by Chapter)

1. The _hanyou _(half-demon) Inuyasha and _miko_ (shrine priestess) Kikyou are deceived into thinking that each had betrayed the other. Kikyou attempts to seal Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree, but her arrow only strikes and pins his fire-rat robe. Kikyou dies before she can instruct her younger sister Kaede to burn the Shikon Jewel with her body. Kaede places a rosary enchanted by her sister around Inuyasha's neck, and subjugates him with the word _kokuzoku_ – "traitor".

2. The night of the New Moon, Inuyasha comes to Kaede as a human, begging her to remove the rosary – she refuses, as she still believes him to have murdered Kikyou. She reluctantly agrees, however, to meet with him later so he can attempt to prove his innocence.

3. Before he can meet with Kaede, Inuyasha encounters Jaken, the water-imp retainer of his elder full-demon half-brother, Sesshomaru. Jaken asks Inuyasha to assist his brother in battle against the invading Panther Demon Tribe, ancient enemies of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's mutual father. Spoiling for a good fight, Inuyasha agrees. Sesshomaru accepts Inuyasha's help, with the proviso that Inuyasha keep out of his way.

4. Fighting alongside other demons who have come to assist Sesshomaru, Inuyasha slays several panther demons. The panther demon army retreats in a panic from Sesshomaru's fearsome true form, which Inuyasha here sees for the first time. He feels once more the poignant need to become much stronger.

5. Kaede finds Inuyasha (who is recovering from the injuries he sustained during the battle) at the appointed meeting place and time. He manages to convince her that he did not kill Kikyou. Kaede believes she lacks the power to keep the Shikon Jewel pure _and_ protect it from demons – including Inuyasha – so she decides to take it to the safekeeping of another priestess: the _miko_ Tsubaki, who Kaede encountered once before. Meanwhile, at the temple she inhabits, Tsubaki entertains an itinerant Buddhist monk, Miatsu, as her guest. Inuyasha and Kaede arrive at the temple, and Tsubaki reluctantly allows them to spend the night, at Miatsu's insistence (inspired by an approaching thunderstorm). Tsubaki is tempted by the demon familiar inhabiting her right eye to kill them all and take the Shikon Jewel for herself.

6. A horde of demons assails the temple. The four occupants fight the demons off, but Tsubaki's familiar decides to take the Jewel for itself, since she will not. The snake swallows the Jewel, becoming like a dragon, and even Inuyasha is powerless to stop it. A battered sword emerges from Inuyasha's eye. It is initially useless, but once it transforms, Inuyasha is able to use it to defeat the demon. However, as the blade cuts through the demon's body, it strikes and shatters the Shikon Jewel; the sword suffers some damage as well. One shard of the Jewel lodges in Kaede's previously injured eye, restoring her sight, but the rest of the shards cannot be located.

7. The temple is in ruins from the extended combat. The group burns the demon corpses and slowly come to terms with what has transpired. Unbeknownst to them, a cunning demon named Naraku provoked the attack on the shrine, and now possesses a shard of the Jewel – what's more, he is capable of tainting individual shards!

8. Tsubaki and Miatsu decide to accompany Kaede and Inuyasha as they search for more Jewel shards.

9. Inuyasha and Kaede, seeking additional shards, encounter Myoga (a flea demon and servant of Inuyasha's father), who informs them of the origin of Inuyasha's new weapon. Sesshomaru appears, demanding the Tetsusaiga, and easily defeats Inuyasha; but he is unable to touch the blade, and departs without further violence. Sesshomaru's mother arrives and bestows to Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga's sheath, apparently at the behest of her husband's spirit. She too departs without shedding blood.

10. Inuyasha and Kaede next encounter a rampant beast who is suffering from a Jewel shard stuck in its forehead. Inuyasha manages to remove the shard without killing the beast, but is injured in the process.

11. Tsubaki and Miatsu journey back to Kaede's village in search of clues to the identity of Kikyou's killer. On the way, Tsubaki reveals snippets of her past to the monk, then demonstrates her power in combat against a giant _oni_.

12. When Tsubaki and Miatsu reach the village, they sense an evil aura; they follow it and find a cave possessed by a malicious will. Fleeing the evil, they wait in Kaede's home for the other two to return.

13. As Kaede tends to his wounds, Inuyasha opens up to her – just a bit.

14. When they do return, Inuyasha overhears Tsubaki insulting him. Enraged, he disappears into the forest as night (and a heavy rain) falls. His departure brings Kaede to tears, so Tsubaki pursues him to apologize. When she finds him, he senses her apology is genuine and heartfelt – though she does not reveal her own issues with demons.

15. Inuyasha and Tsubaki take shelter from the storm in an abandoned house; to pass the time, Tsubaki asks Inuyasha about his past. [NOTE: Since it slowed the story down too much, I eventually removed the actual stories he told, but left their conversations in between. If you wish to read the stories Inuyasha told her, you'll have to read my other fic, "Mother".]

16. That same night, Kaede suffers from intense nightmares. Waking up in the middle of the night, she remembers the bandit her sister Kikyou had been tending, Onigumo. Miatsu insists they wait for morning before going to check on him.

17. Inuyasha and Tsubaki return in the morning, on much better terms. Tsubaki finds out firsthand that Miatsu has a naughty habit…

18. The foursome investigate Onigumo's cave further; Inuyasha smells something that is _like_ a demon, yet is not a demon. They compare the aura in the cave to the one that left traces on the arrows shot at Inuyasha by "Kikyou", and determine that they match. They conclude that something disguised itself as Kikyou to attack Inuyasha, but do not understand why. Kaede reveals that Onigumo had the will to do so, but not the power. Momentarily at a standstill, the four decide to hunt for more Jewel shards while also searching for Kikyou's killer.

19. A demon calling itself "Hell" is also hunting for the Jewel shards, though Inuyasha and the others do not yet know it. The demon already has several shards, and with their power, can transform its shape for extended periods. [If you didn't know yet (shame on you), _naraku_ means "hell"…]

20. While traveling, Inuyasha and the others obtain two more Jewel shards. Having lost their traveling funds, Miatsu offers a wealthy household an exorcism in exchange for food and lodging. Kaede and Tsubaki force Inuyasha to take a bath [hilarious!], while Miatsu goes to give the master's daughter a blessing. Miatsu is trapped inside the daughter's room under the spell of a demon who has disguised itself as the girl.

21. Inuyasha, Tsubaki, and Kaede discover Miatsu's predicament and come to his rescue. Tsubaki and Kaede are rendered paralyzed, just as Miatsu was. The demon reveals that he, Naraku, is the one who set Inuyasha and Kikyou against one another. Enraged, Inuyasha attacks, but cannot land a blow on Naraku's false form. Naraku disarms Inuyasha, who continues to attack bare-handed. Kikyou, who can see the demon's true form through the shard in her eye, watches helplessly as Naraku finally counterattacks.

22. Miatsu blocks the projectile with his right hand, saving Inuyasha; Miatsu seems to be uninjured aside from some small cuts. As his scheme has "failed", Naraku flees. The master's daughter, Risa, who was actually in the room, but bespelled, awakens. She asks to leave with them, as her father refuses to let her marry the man she loves, a demon slayer named Shako. Inuyasha refuses, but is overruled. Kaede informs the others that she could see Naraku had many Jewel shards.

23. Miatsu's injured right hand is behaving strangely (more so than usual): it periodically sucks nearby objects up. After it absorbs an entire blanket, Miatsu decides there is something very wrong, and asks Inuyasha to take him to the temple where he trained with haste. The women agree to meet them at the temple, and the men depart at top speed.

24. The women journey together towards the temple, but a "shortcut" results in disaster when Tsubaki's magic backfires; Tsubaki faces imminent death.

25. Inuyasha and Miatsu race towards the temple, only reaching it thanks to a last-ditch effort by Miatsu, who uses a time-stopped sutra on his hand. Other monks appear and hustle Miatsu inside to begin treating his condition.

26. Inuyasha encounters two strange travelers, one of whom helped treat Miatsu. Dim-witted though he is, Inuyasha manages to understand that Miatsu has been cursed; he is shocked when the traveler announces that he (Inuyasha) should not exist.

27. Miatsu awakens and reunited with his old friend Mushin, a fellow monk. Inuyasha relays the traveler's instructions to Miatsu regarding his injury, including the purpose for the beads wrapped around his hand. Inuyasha's sleep is fitful, as he is plagued with nightmares where Kikyou kills him.

28. When Inuyasha awakens, he meets yet another traveler named Kotsu, and his two-tailed cat. Kotsu follows Inuyasha and Miatsu as they depart the temple, later joining them at Miatsu's request. They arrive just as Tsubaki begins her fall into certain death.

29. The day is saved [I won't reveal how – you'll have to read it]. Kotsu reveals that he is actually Shako, Risa's betrothed. Tsubaki realizes that Inuyasha has become special to her… and vice versa.

30. Shako informs the others that the Shikon Jewel originated in his home village, and that it was he who sent the Jewel to Kikyou. The whole group travels to the village of the Demon Slayers.

31. Inuyasha and company find Myoga waiting for them at the village. Leaving Risa behind to make preparations for her wedding to Shako, the others visit the nearby limestone cave where the priestess Midoriko and the demons she fought are encased in stone. Due to Myoga's curiosity and a fair bit of bad luck, some demon spirits revive; they are defeated by Inuyasha (or Midoriko's spirit, depending on who you ask). After the others leave, a bittersweet reunion occurs between two very old compatriots.

32. Miatsu convinces Inuyasha to try to peep on Tsubaki when she goes to bathe. Pure hilarity ensues. [I won't spoil any details…]

33. Miatsu practices his skills, and encounters a fearsome enemy. Kaede practices her skills in archery… and cooking. After a mysterious absence, Inuyasha tries to have the Tetsusaiga repaired, but is the village smiths cannot help.

34. While wandering through the village, Tsubaki encounters a strange old herbalist woman…

35. Shako determines that the woman Tsubaki met was the spirit of his own departed great-grandmother, Rindou. He shares his insecurities about his upcoming marriage with her; she inadvertently reveals her feelings for Inuyasha. Tsubaki discerns a strange connection between Rindou's name and that of another dead woman.

36. Inuyasha and Shako converse about their fathers, and the legacies each left to his son. Inuyasha works out how to make his sword transform.

37. Shako and Risa are finally able to get married! But Inuyasha has his eyes on one of the officiants of the wedding, rather than on the participants…

38. The after-wedding party commences, replete with wine, song, wine, dancing, wine, food, and… well, you get the picture. A drunken young priestess does things she ordinarily would not; but are her actions really what they seem? The older priestess thinks so, but the monk suspects otherwise, and tells the half-demon so…

39. Inuyasha seeks out Tsubaki, who went missing after seeing him in a compromising situation. [No spoilers for you!] A very touching chapter, according to my wife…

40. Myoga reveals his results of his investigations on the Jewel. Uncovering his cursed hand for the first time since it was bound, Miatsu discovers that the curse may actually be a powerful weapon, dubbing it the _Kazaana_, or "Wind Tunnel". Shako and Risa state their intentions to remain in the village, but send Kilala along with the group. Myoga tells Inuyasha that the swordsmith who forged the Tetsusaiga may be able to repair the damage it suffered when it broke the Jewel. Shako helps the group figure out how to get to where this swordsmith lives from the Slayer's village. After saying their goodbyes (some terse, some tearful) to their generous hosts, Inuyasha, Kaede, Tsubaki, Miatsu, and Kilala set off for parts unknown.

And now the story continues, in "A Twist in Time, Book II"!


	2. Pressing On

All characters, named weapons, and attacks borrowed from _Inuyasha_ are not my own, but belong to Takahashi-_dono_.

"**Pressing On"**

"Urrrggh…" The silver-haired half-demon Inuyasha slumped to the ground, utterly defeated.

The young priestess Kaede giggled at the _hanyou_. "Oh, come on, Inuyasha… you can't be _that_ tired!"

Inuyasha's eyes blinked open, and the golden orbs glared up at her. "Next time, _you_ can carry the packs," he growled irritably. Groaning, he slipped two large, heavy bags off his shoulders and sat up.

The raven-haired priestess Tsubaki sat down beside him. "I'm sorry we had to ask you to carry the baggage, Inuyasha, but Kilala's leg hasn't healed yet." She gently stroked the pale yellow fur of the twin-tailed cat demon nestled in her folded arms. "The _oni_ that came crashing into camp last night really did a number on us."

"Yeah, yeah…" Inuyasha had dozed off just a bit during his watch, and had fallen into one of his increasingly frequent nightmares: nightmares involving himself, the sacred Shikon Jewel… and a sacred arrow loosed by the priestess he had loved. Every time the nightmare repeated itself, the arrow got just a bit closer to piercing his chest.

"Come on, everyone dozes off during watch _once_ in a while… even you." The monk Miatsu, who was bringing up the rear of their group, was not about to admit that he had done the same thing earlier in the night. He thrust his jangling staff into the dirt and, with knees popping, slowly lowered himself onto the ground.

"Feh." Inuyasha was not about to admit that it was his cry of fear that woke Kilala just in time for her to grab Tsubaki out from under the stomping foot of the _oni_. _If she'd died…_

He tried to rub the soreness in his shoulders away, but Tsubaki noticed the slight tremble in his arms. Miatsu and Kaede eyed each other knowingly as the priestess knelt behind the half-demon.

"Let me." Inuyasha flinched when she laid her hands gently on his shoulders – whether from reflexive aversion to contact with others or from sheer weariness, Tsubaki couldn't tell. Nevertheless, the twitching of his ears and a barely audible groan revealed that his aching muscles and frazzled nerves, if nothing else, appreciated her efforts.

"Mew?" Kilala asked Miatsu.

"Shh… we need to let things run their course in the proper time."

"Mrowf…"

Kaede had settled her own confused feelings for Inuyasha during their time at the Slayers' village, but seeing the person she viewed as a gruff big brother practically _purring _(to her perspective) under the ministrations of a beautiful woman still made her a bit… well, not really _jealous_, but she felt _something_ just a bit unpleasant, anyway. She cleared her throat. "Who's hungry?"

XXXXX

That night around the cheerily-crackling campfire, the group clustered around the map Shako had lent them – except for Kilala, who was taking another catnap. Normally, Inuyasha did not join them for such strategy sessions, but Tsubaki's massage had left him in a positively chipper mood (by Inuyasha standards), so he made an exception: he tried to be, if not cheerful, at least not _dour_, for Tsubaki's sake. And he couldn't help being at least a little delighted at the opportunity to sit near her without anyone suspecting his true intent.

The purification ritual the priestess had undergone in preparation for officiating Shako and Risa's wedding ceremony had purged her body of the last remnants of the lingering scent of foul demons. Though time and baths had diminished it, that scent had repelled him ever since they met, and now that her own scent was uninhibited and untainted… well, let's just say that he couldn't get enough. However, as the deliberations persisted, his demeanor increasingly reflected his mounting inward annoyance…

"See, we've been heading due north, and we're almost to the Tone River. Once we get there, we can take a boat upriver." Miatsu traced the course of the Tone northwest with his finger.

"But we need to go to Mount Akagi to find this 'Totosai' and get Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga fixed, and to get _there_, we need to go due north!" Kaede drew this alternate route with her own digit.

Miatsu shook his head. "Since the river curves around Mount Akagi and other mountain hear it, we can disembark whenever we like and head straight for! Not to mention that this valley approach from the west seems to make for the shallowest – and therefore easiest – approach."

"But that makes for a longer overall trip… why not take this valley from the southwest?" Tsubaki butted in.

"Umm… my route might be longer overall, but it's less walking. It should take the same time – or less – and won't be quite so strenuous." _And the area I want to go through is famous for its hot springs!_ Miatsu flashed his most disarming grin.

"Hmm…" Tsubaki tapped her pursed lips with a finger which she mulled this over. _Why is he so insistent on taking _that_ particular route? He's up to something…_

"Of course, this all assumes that we can even _get_ a boat," Kaede interrupted. "Shako did give us some traveling funds, but I'd rather not use them so soon!"

This patently obvious statement was the impetus for the three of them to begin bickering over the best way to get a boat: beg, borrow, build, pilfer, and so on, until the fire was burning low and the fourth member of the council had had quite enough of the whole business.

"You know, I could just go to Mount Akagi by myself," Inuyasha grumbled, tired of the whole thing (and just plain tired). "It'd be a lot faster."

"Maybe," Kaede conceded, "but since when can _you_ sense Jewel shards? You might run right by a dozen of them and never even know it."

"Yeah, yeah…" _Listening to this discussion was _so_ not worth it… next time, I'll just keep watch from a distance._

Miatsu rubbed his eyes. "Why don't we wait until we get to the river and see how boat situation is? And once we're on the boat, _then_ we'll decide when we should get off again?"

Kaede and Tsubaki nodded their assent; Inuyasha simply grunted and rolled his eyes. _In other words, the whole last hour of discussion has been absolutely pointless. Gotta love a democracy… _

"Alright, then. Let's grab some shuteye. Since I seem to be the most awake, I'll take first watch?"

No one could argue that point… and no one wanted to.

Still, Inuyasha kept himself half-awake, just in case. _I won't let Tsubaki be put in danger again…_

XXXXX

They reached the Tone River near lunchtime the next day. The argument from the previous night was about to break out again in full force when Kaede spotted a barge creeping slowly towards them from downstream.

"Why don't we just ask if we can ride with them?" Kaede asked the others.

"Something tells me that they wouldn't be too thrilled with having demons on board…" Tsubaki jerked her head to indicate Inuaysha and Kilala, who was nestled in his mane of hair – much to his displeasure.

"Well, we can hide his ears…" Kaede dug a cloth out of one of the packs Inuyasha was carrying, removed his feline bane, and wrapped the cloth around his head. "Now, tuck your hands in your sleeves so your claws don't show."

"Why?"

"Would you rather carry the baggage again tomorrow?"

Inuyasha grudgingly complied.

"He still looks a little… off," Tsubaki wrinkled her brow, trying to puzzle it out.

"He's too young for silver hair," Miatsu pointed out. "No time to find berries or something to dye it, the boat's almost here."

Inuyasha's glare instantly made them decide to scrap that idea. "My hair. Color. _Stays_." _To me, having black hair means the new moon, and I'm fully human… granted, that's the idea right now, but NO!_

Kaede sighed. "We'll just have to chance it. Who should hail them?"

Miatsu chortled. "Sailors might not take too kindly to a man of the cloth being on board, but a lovely young lady might convince them…" he winked at Tsubaki.

"Maybe too much…" she muttered. "All right, I'll give it a go." She strode to the water's edge, struck a slightly sultry pose, and called out to the vessel in a lilting voice. "Yoooo-hooooo! Can you take on passengers!"

XXXXX

"Eh heh heh… you remind me so much of my lil' granddaughter back home, missy," the wiry old man grinned. His nearly-toothless grin was so comical that even Tsubaki had to smile back. "I hope it don't take longer with yer extra weight aboard – I still want ta get home as soon as possible."

"Feh," Inuyasha called from the stern, where he was rapidly poling the barge upstream. "Even with her extra weight, I'll get us all there faster than _you_ would by yourself, old-timer." Unsatisfied with the old man's slow and steady pace, he had volunteered (insisted, really) to be the boat's propulsion.

Tsubaki shot him an angry glare. "Chuuko-san was talking about _all_ of us, including you and your dense skull!"

"Come here and say that!"

"Nyah!" She grinned and winked at Kaede as her tongue retreated between her lips.

Kaede blinked quizzically.

"I'm not _really_ mad," Tsubaki explained. "I know he was just talking without taking a woman's feelings into consideration."

"Yeah, he needs to work on that…" Kaede rested her chin on her knees.

"Anyway…" _Time to change the subject…_ "Chuuko-san, your village had such an abundant harvest this year that you actually had extra rice to sell to other domains?" Miatsu asked the old man.

"Yup. Just don' tell our feudal lord about it – he's only getting the usual amount from us. We're plannin' on using the proceeds to rebuild the village wall a raiding party from our lord's rival battered down last year." He patted the string of coins around his neck, which had increased by a few. He hadn't asked for any compensation, but Miatsu had insisted; it was still far less than it would have cost them to purchase any sort of boat.

"Isn't it your lord's responsibility to provide for your defense?" Kaede inquired.

"Yup. But since he hasn't been, we've had to do it ourselves. Which is why _we_ don't feel bad at all skimping on _him_, heh heh!"

Kaede shook her head sorrowfully. "It's a shame so few rulers are truly concerned with the welfare of the people they govern. It seems like they're always looking out for themselves – how to stay in power, defeat their rivals – why do you suppose that is?"

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"Eh?"

Miatsu drew her aside, out of earshot of the old man. "I mean, look at the sacred jewel – an _incredible_ source of power! Yet Shako said there's never been a single case of it being used for something good or selfless."

"I dunno," Kaede responded. "I kind of like having depth perception again." She tapped the brow next to her right eye, which had been healed when a pure jewel shard had been embedded within it. "And now I can see the shards inside the bodies of demons, when before I couldn't."

"True," Miatsu acknowledged. "But from what you have said, you would not have lost the eye – nor would you even need to seek shards of the jewel – if the jewel did not exist!"

"You're right, Miatsu. But, the jewel aside, what could corrupt so many humans?"

"It's not a matter of corruption from without, but from within." _Like my vice for beautiful women…_ "Human beings are innately capable of both good _and_ evil… as are demons like our friend here." He patted Kilala, who was curled up asleep on a nearby empty crate. Her leg was _almost_ fully healed, but the herbs Tsubaki and Kaede had been applying to her wound made her very drowsy.

"And Inuyasha?"

"Even more so."

"Hey, Miatsu!" Tsubaki shouted from the bow.

"What is it?" He jogged up to join her, Kaede close behind.

"Do you sense something odd?"

He stood still half a moment, stretching out his honed senses. "Yeah. I can't quite place it, though…"

"UGH! What is that STENCH!" Inuyasha was poling the barge one-handed, using his other to hold his sleeve over his nose. His claws, which had been clearly visible for hours but went completely unnoticed – or at least un-commented-on – by their host, glistened in the light of the setting sun.

Kaede sniffed cautiously. "Pepper?"

Even as the word left her lips, all hell broke loose.

Author's Note: Yes, I am back! Now that the school year is wrapping up, I will try to make time in between job interviews to work on this story. I am both pleased and peeved to say that I estimate I have already put more than 20 hours into this story (aside from Chapter 1, which I wrote about a year ago), and this is as far as I have gotten. That is because the vast majority of that 20 hours has been research (see Author's Note 2 before, if you wish to share my suffering on that front) and planning out where the story will go. Doing another story arc so soon was not really my intention – I wanted to do a lot of unconnected stories first – but I kind of left off the first part of the story ("A Twist in Time") with a direct lead-in to a story arc, so here goes!

Again, I urge readers: If you have not yet, read "A Twist in Time" before you continue with this story. If you are familiar with Takahashi-_dono_'s original Inuyasha storyline, you're kind of coming in to the story at roughly the equivalent of the middle of the second season… if you don't know what's happened already, you will be at least a little bit confused by the events that will shortly follow – though I am making every attempt to provide new readers with enough details to understand most of the major plot devices in motion.

Author's Note 2: I am having _no_ luck with finding any detailed maps of Japan during this time period. All of the decent-sized cities in the northwestern Kanto region (the area Inuyasha & co. are trekking through) on modern maps were founded well after the Tokugawa era, so I can't give any man-made reference points. I can't even be certain of where exactly the Tone River was back then! According to Wikipedia: "The Tone River was once known for its uncontrollable nature, and its route changed whenever floods occurred. It is hard to trace the ancient route of the river." All I know is that it _was_ there, and _probably _roughly in the center of its vast floodplain upriver of Edo (the medieval castle town now known as Tokyo).

Ah, the challenges of writing (a form of) historical fiction! Nobuhiro Watsuki did such an excellent job working in period events (and alternative, conspiracy-theory-esque explanations for those events) in _Rurouni Kenshin_. I can only hope to aspire to his mastery. Though perhaps I simply needn't bother with trying to maintain geographic accuracy; Takahashi-_dono_ certainly didn't, and nobody criticized her for it. I do, however, think I'd like to maintain _historical_ accuracy… which creates a **big** problem.

Assuming that Kagome travels back _exactly_ 500 years into the past from the year 1997 (the year it was stated to be in Volume 1, Scroll 1 of the manga), she would end up in 1497. _Exactly_ 50 years prior (when Inuyasha was sealed away) would be 1447, _before_ the Sengoku period began, when the Muromachi shogunate was apparently still relatively in control of Japan. However, there is no reference to "500 years" that I have found in the manga thus far – at least the English version; I'm thinking the "500 years" Kagome comes up with in the anime must be either a mistake on the part of the translators for the anime, or an estimation.

I am hesitant to specify an exact year. Takahashi-_dono_ apparently felt no need to do so, possibly due to a reluctance to deal with historical events at all. Aside from a bit part in Volume 3, Scroll 1 – and in episode 8 of the anime – in the form of clumsy samurai Amari Nobunaga, who takes insult when Kagome mistook him for Oda Nobunaga, who was apparently known at the time as a "supreme idiot", I have found no other references to actual historic places or events; and this _one _reference, a case of mistaken identity, was _very_ early in the series. Some of you may be thinking of Akitoki Hojo (the Hojo clan was apparently one of the few to successfully resist domination by the Oda clan), but Akitoki is an anime- and movie-only character, _not_ created by Takahashi-_dono_ herself.

Anyhow, as best as I can figure out, Amari Nobunaga knows of Oda Nobunaga as a "supreme idiot". So, Oda Nobunaga is older than 13 (the traditional age for a samurai's manhood ceremony, when he receives his adult name) but younger than 19 (when he started to become a famous general). Since Nobunaga was born in 1534, the year Kagome traveled back to _must_ be between 1547 and 1553; this averages out to 1550, and is only about _450_ years into Kagome's past… nowhere _near_ 500!

Kaede says in the first volume of the manga that it has been "over 50 years" since Kikyou died. Assuming that it is closer to 50 than 60 (or Kaede would have said "nearly 60 years"), it's safe to say that somewhere between 50 and 54 years have passed between Inuyasha's sealing and his subsequent release. This places the time frame for Inuyasha's sealing at between 1493 and 1503. We'll average this out to **1498** and use that as the critical year when everything began. Where that will lead me, only time will tell… pun definitely intended.

I'd like to try to make this story as realistic as possible; but does it lose something in the process? I'd love to hear from my readers about it… of course, I love to hear from my readers no matter what! So, again, please read and review!


	3. Water Pressure

All characters, named weapons, and attacks borrowed from _Inuyasha_ are not my own, but belong to Takahashi-_dono_.

"**Water Pressure"**

The still water just in front of the bow of the barge erupted into a towering column. A surge of water thundered onto the desk, staggering Miatsu and sweeping Kaede and Kilala overboard. Tsubaki lunged to catch them, but slipped and fell on the sloshing deck.

Inuyasha sprang from his position at the stern and caught them in midair; he tossed them over the rail and into Miatsu's waiting arms before he plunged into the suddenly raging river.

On the surface, the slight scent of pepper had swelled into an overpowering reek as the source of the stench revealed itself.

"Good heavens!" the old man Chuuko-san wheezed as he hauled himself back to his feet. "Well, if that ain't the biggest _hanzaki_ I've ever seen!"

Kaede coughed and spat to clear her lungs. "Whatever that thing is, it's got a jewel shard!" she gasped.

"Where?" Miatsu asked.

She didn't have to answer. The creature's massive jaws opened wide – the eerie violet light of a tainted jewel shard shone from the back of its throat, illuminating rows of razor-sharp teeth. The gaping maw thrust towards them.

XXXXX

Underwater, Inuyasha could see the bulk of the behemoth. _An _osanshouo_… I used to have to hunt those sometimes. I've never seen one quite so big, though… or so violent! _The source of the creature's agitation quickly became apparent: the creature, a giant salamander, was besieged by swarms of water imps! The _kappa_ were pricking the great amphibian's scaleless hide with miniature spears and tridents; each small stab released a tiny spurt of dark red blood.

_Damn… that thing is just too big to slice apart… and even if I try, the thrashing might wreck the boat and hurt the passengers! But it might calm down if the _kappa_ stop attacking it…_

As the salamander churned towards him, spurred on by its relentless assailants, Inuyasha went to work. The imps, intent on their quarry, shrieked in terror as he slashed his way through their ranks all the way down the creature's left side. The few imps that survived his charge called their comrades, and the swarm left off prodding the _hanzaki_ to target the threat.

_I'm almost out of breath… got to get to the surface!_ Inuyasha broke loose from the cloud of clutching claws and poking pikes and kicked madly; but being underwater for so long – and with little oxygen – had disoriented his equilibrium, and he swam straight into the salamander's thick, thrashing tail.

The _kappa_ chattered and snickered as the tail collided violently with his head; the unconscious _hanyou_ sank into the murky depths of the sediment-laden river.

XXXXX

Miatsu's mind raced even as the salamander raced towards them. _There's no way my staff or a sutra will stop it in time… the kazanna!_ Miatsu quickly unwrapped the beads from his right hand. But before he could unleash the void, he slipped and fell on the wildly pitching deck. _That was too close…_

"Are you crazy?" Tsubaki chided him, swaying to keep her own balance. "You can't risk sucking up the jewel shard, anyway, idiot!"

"Oh… right…" _But then what can we do?_

At that moment, as if by divine providence, the gargantuan beast turned and passed along the starboard side. Its wake threatened to swamp them; but the old sturdy ship held together, its beams creaking and groaning like the joints of its almost-as-aged captain.

The pitching and heaving of the barge and its passengers' stomachs lessened as the giant amphibian sloshed further downstream; the waterlogged and nauseated crew breathed a collective sigh of relief when it dove beneath the surface.

"Is it over?" Kaede moaned, clutching white-knuckled to one of the few remaining rails.

"I wish I could say it was," Miatsu muttered grimly as he released his death grip on one of the few lashed-down crates that had survived.

Tsubaki wrung out her sodden hair. "Right… we still need to get that jewel shard!"

Everyone gazed expectantly at the sole member of their group who could adequately function in an aquatic combat situation. She hesitantly flexed her injured leg, then stretched it out full-length. She winced from a slight lingering pain, but knew she was the only one for the task at hand.

"MREOWR!" The _nekomata _burst into flame and assumed her true form.

Miatsu stroked her forehead. "Are you sure you're up for this, Kilala?"

"Rrowf." She crouched down, anticipating riders.

"Wait…" Kaede's hair lashed at her shoulders as she looked around frantically. "Where's Inuyasha?"

XXXXX

_It hurts… my chest… hurts…_

_Kikyou's arrow… creeping towards my heart…_

_Why does my chest hurt if I haven't been pierced?_

_This… is another dream…_

_Wake up._

… _I know that voice. It _is_ a dream._

_You must wake up now, Inuyasha._

_I'm trying, Ki-…_

_Wake up… WAKE UP!_

…

XXXXX

"Inuyasha!" _He saved me, but hasn't come up yet… that dummy!_ Kaede's bare feet slapped across the wet deck as she ran from one side of the barge to the other, ceaselessly calling for him.

"You see anything, Tsubaki?" Miatsu murmured. "Eh?"

The raven-haired priestess had already shed her long outer garments and mounted Kilala, the strap of her spear slung over her shoulder. She patted the great cat's mane – and they were off.

Miatsu watched them dive into the undulating watercourse. _I can't just stand here and do nothing while my comrades are in danger. But what can I do from… wait, what's… holy!..._ He hastily scrambled away from the side. "Kaede, Chuuko-san… we've got incoming!"

"What's that, sonny?"

"Inu- *cough* -yasha!" Kaede had worn herself hoarse from shouting. "Huh? Eep!"

A horde of water imps thronged over the side Miatsu had just abandoned, jabbering maliciously. Their assorted weapons glistened with dripping river water – and crimson blood.

XXXXX

_Where is he? I'm running out of air!_ Tsubaki and Kilala searched to no avail – the _hanzaki_'s mad thrashing had churned up the sediments from the river bottom, and little sunlight was breaking through the choppy surface.

The priestess tugged on Kilala, signaling she needed to breathe. The feline obliged, and they quickly took great gulps of air before diving once more – not even noticing the plight of their companions still on the boat.

_Don't you dare die on me, Inuyasha!_

XXXXX

Inuyasha's limp body drifted downstream, feet-first and face-down, kept from rising by the weight of the ancestral sword tied to his waist. The tip of the sheath wedged between two worn rocks on the riverbed – and the shaft began to slip through the belt. As the hilt rose, the sword slowly tipped over; it slid completely out and sank, disappearing slowly into the murk.

The now-buoyant body began to rise, red robe fluttering in the current.

His eyes and mouth flew open – his fangs far longer than normal; his eyes, unseeing, red as blood. The water touching his skin began to seethe and boil as his ascent quickened.

XXXXX

"Kaede, I could use some _help_ here!"

"Sorry, Miatsu, I'm trying!" The young priestess was using a piece of snapped-off railing to fend off the (admittedly quite short) thrusts of the imps' pikes and polearms. "I can't do much without a bow, though!" Her weapon, along with her sealed and waterproofed quiver, had been washed overboard like the majority of their belongings and was now floating with the flotsam. "Can't you use your sutras or something?"

"I would, but the paper got soaked, and the ink ran! And I just – umph – made them, too!" He thumped another _kappa_'s head with his staff, parried a few more thrusts, and wrinkled his brow. "I think I'll have to chance the Wind Tunnel!"

"Are you crazy?"

_Why does everyone keep asking that today?_ "You've got a better idea?"

"RRRRAAAH!"

The bickering duo spun to see this new, _very_ loud adversary, and stared in disbelief.

"_Chuuko-san?_"

The old-timer was hammering left and right at the invading imps with the longer half of what used to be the steering pole. "GET OFF'N MA BOAT, YA SCAMPS!"

He paused to wipe his brow. "Well, quit yer gawkin' and get to whackin' these infernal things!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Right away!"

_Scary…_

They had almost cleared the deck when a fresh batch jumped on board to reinforce the survivors. The three defenders were quickly forced into a triangle, protecting each others' backs.

"Can I use it now, Kaede?" Miatsu smirked.

"Might as well – I don't think we can win this."

"Yes, ma'am." Miatsu stripped the beads from his right arm and braced himself. _ Perhaps today _is_ a good day to die…_

XXXXX

Tsubaki and Kilala's heads breached the surface for the seventh time. "We need… to try… further… downstream! Come on, girl!"

As they skimmed over the surface, trickles of water ran down her face.

_I won't give up… he can't be dead… I won't! He can't!_

Before them, another pillar of water shot into the air – significantly smaller than the first, but much higher. Blinded by the spray, Tsubaki entirely missed a figure in red erupt from the top of the column and jet back the way she had come.

It was well that she had missed it… and even better that _it_ had missed _her_.

In its current frame of mind – or lack thereof – if the figure _had _seen her… she would have been ripped to shreds.

XXXXX

Moments later, that same figure was ripping _kappa_ to shreds by the hundreds, tearing and slicing in indiscriminate rage. Miatsu, Kaede, and Chuuko watched in horror as the familiar yet utterly alien visage sneered in delight at the imps' death screams.

"Inu… yasha… how did… how could…_why?_" Mixed emotions – joy at his return, shock and terror at his countenance and behavior – played across her face in rapid succession.

Miatsu mindfully tucked the girl's face into his robe. _She's seen plenty of combat already… but she doesn't need to see this… this slaughter. He needs to be stopped – but how?_

For slaughter it was. Inuyasha cut them down even as they fled into the water; retaliatory wounds he sustained from recklessness and sheer haste thudded thickly onto the deck.

Kaede pried herself loose as the final water imp gurgled its last around Inuyasha's hand thrust clean through his throat. _I have to stop him… _She treaded tremulously toward the snarling beast-man.

"Stop, Kaede! He's lost his head – he'll kill you, too!" Miatsu grabbed for her arm.

Perceiving the monk's sudden movement, the bloody body swiveled and snarled, vicious fangs glinting reflected rays from the setting sun. It lunged for the girl…

XXXXX

Tsubaki's face was buried in Kilala's increasingly damp fur. They had searched far downstream – she hadn't wondered why the _hanzaki_ was dead, its hide riddled with thousands of puncture wounds. She hadn't even wondered why the jewel shard was inexplicably absent from the corpse. She was too overcome by intense guilt and remorse… and something else she had never expected to feel.

_We shouldn't have taken the boat… I hailed the boat… it's my fault he's gone. I was… he was… we were… and now…_

Her shoulders shook as her hands clenched tightly to the tawny coat. She gritted her teeth and willed herself to just _stop_, but it was no use.

_He's gone. He's gone! He's – _

"MREOWR!"

Tsubaki's head jerked up a scant second after Kilala's alert. She looked up just in time to see _him_ standing on the deck. He darted towards Kaede.

Her joy at his survival knew no bounds. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called: "Inuyasha!"

XXXXX

Kaede froze in fear – the bloodlust in Inuyasha's eyes was too intense.

"Inuyasha!" Tsubaki's voice called from above.

His head whirled, his eyes narrowed… and Kaede could move again.

"Tsubaki, there's something wrong with him – Kilala, keep away!" Miatsu shouted.

It was too late. Inuyasha had sprung into the air, poised to strike Tsubaki down. She froze in fear – not so much from the wicked claws he would use to end her life as from his bright red eyes, filled with murderous intent.

His arm drew back to strike.

"No…" she whispered.

"Inuyasha! _Kokuzoku!_"

The rosary around his neck pulsed as Kaede uttered the word to activate its enchantment. Inuyasha plunged straight down into the water with a colossal splash.

He came up spluttering. "The hell? What'd you do _that_ for?"

Kaede sank to her knees. "Thank god. He's back to normal."

_As normal as could be expected for a half-demon who looks like he just drowned, anyway… what happened to him?_ Miatsu wondered.

XXXXX

The sun was beginning to sink by the time they recovered most of what had been washed overboard. The battered barge was now tied up to a tree at the water's edge; Chuuko was aboard making some repairs, whistling merrily as if they had not just escaped mortal peril.

Inuyasha wrung out his robe onto the grass – again – and shook his hair. Lingering droplets of river water splattered Kaede and Miatsu, who sat close by.

He finally noticed their intense stares. "What?"

"Inuyasha… why did you… what happened when you went in the river?" Miatsu asked hesitantly.

"Feh. Those stupid water imps were attacking that thing – that's why it was stinking so much… they only stink like that when they feel threatened. The trick to killing a _hanzaki _is to kill it in one blow before it knows you're there. Anyway, I figured if I killed the imps, the _hanzaki_ might calm down and be easier to kill. So, I killed some of them, but then…" He cocked his head, puzzled. "I can't remember what I did after that; the next thing I remember is _someone_ dunking me into the river." He glared at her.

"So you don't remember _leaving_ the river?" Kaede asked quietly.

"I never… wait, I guess I must have… no, I don't remember. Why? Is there something significant about that?"

"Well, Inuyasha," Miatsu explained, "between you leaving the river and Kaede 'dunking' you back into it… you did _that_."

Inuyasha's gaze followed Miatsu's outstretched hand, seeing the hacked-up _kappa_ corpses Miatsu had piled up for cremation as if for the first time.

"_I_ killed them?"

"Most of them, yes. They were about to kill us."

"Oh. OK. You're welcome?"

Miatsu sighed. "That's not the point."

"Well then, _get_ to it, already!" he snapped, irritated at the monk's indirectness.

"You weren't… yourself… when you did it," Kaede explained for him. "I think… I think you would have killed us, too."

"… No. I wouldn't do that." _I've never killed a human… even when I really wanted to._ The image of Lord Kagewaki, the man who had abused and murdered his mother, was forever etched in his mind. _Perhaps I should have killed him, instead of leaving him hanging from that bamboo to be humiliated in front of his men… _A dark scowl crossed his face that the others thankfully mistook for intense thought.

"Normally, no, _you_ wouldn't… but taking into consideration that you don't remember what happened…" Miatsu paused. "I don't think you were yourself at the time. If you were human, I would suspect that a demon had possessed you! What do you think, Tsubaki?"

The priestess sat at a distance, emotionally drained and lost in thought, stroking Kilala's fur.

"Tsubaki?" Kaede called softly.

"Mm?"

"Do you have any idea what happened to Inuyasha back there?"

She shook her head slowly. _It really was like a demonic possession… but how could that be possible when he's already a demon? Well, half-demon… would that make a difference? Maybe, maybe not. But I do know that whatever caused it… it felt like his heart had gone cold and distant… like I would never have been able to reach him._

She set Kilala down and hugged her knees. _I don't ever want to feel that way again… whatever happened, it must not happen again!_

"Well, whatever it was, _I_ don't have a problem with it," Inuyasha huffed. "It obviously got the job done." He stood and brushed off his kimono; as his hands ran across his waistline, his eyes widened from sudden insight.

"Where's my sword?"

XXXXX

"Are you _sure_ this will work?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"Not one hundred percent, but I see no reason why it shouldn't," Miatsu assured him. "What do you think, Kaede? Is it time to use this now?"

"I still think you're crazy to even consider using that thing, but… yes. Just be careful!"

"By your leave then, my lady… _Kazanna_!" Crouching at the bank of the river, he opened his palm; a circle the size of a 1-_mon_ coin appeared. It would not be fair to simply call it "black" – it was darker than the deepest, darkest cave. And it was hungry.

The void tugged at its target: the waters of the Tone River. As the water swirled into his hand, Miatsu kept a sharp eye out for anything that he would not want to utterly vanish from the world. "See anything yet?" he hollered over the howling wind.

"Nothing yet, but it _is_ getting dark! No, wait!" Kaede pointed. "It's right there, stuck in some rocks!"

Miatsu gritted his teeth. "Ready, Inuyasha?"

"Yep."

"OK… go!" As the magnetic sutra beads wrapped around his forearm, sealing the void, the _hanyou_ jumped into the dry riverbed. The waters from up- and downstream rapidly converged on his position; but even as they met, he sprang back into the air, landing lightly on the bank once more, the Tetsusaiga once more secure in his belt.

"Phew… I did _not_ want to get wet again today."

Miatsu wiped the spray thrown up by the collision from his face. "Yippee for you." He stomped off to dry off his soaked clothes again by the crematory pyre Tsubaki was tending.

"Still no sign of the jewel shard, eh, Kaede?"

"Nothing. Tsubaki said it was missing from the _hanzaki_'s body, so it should have been somewhere between where we found the body and where it attacked us, but…"

"Damn." He lightly punched a nearby tree, cracking the trunk and sending tremors through the branches. Leaves fluttered down; one settled on his ear. The ear twitched, and the leaf continued its gravity-propelled migration. "Something or someone else got it. All that work for _nothing_!"

"Looks that way. Umm… I'm sorry I didn't say this sooner, but… thank you for saving me earlier, Inuyasha," Kaede murmured as she leaned against him.

"… yeah."

_You really scared me… don't ever do that again…_

XXXXX

They started a second fire some distance away from the pyre, to hopefully avoid any demons that might be drawn to the smell or demonic energy exuded by the charred remain; Miatsu said he would write up a sealing sutra before they left. After a late, wordless supper, everyone was ready for sleep – especially Chuuko, who started snoring as soon as he lay down.

Tusbaki had seen the least combat, so she volunteered to take the first watch. Really, what she wanted was time to think.

_It's burning low…_

She tossed a log on the fire and rubbed her arms – chilled not so much from the cold air, but from the trepidation she still felt about Inuyasha's strange behavior that day.

A red robe draped across her shoulders, startling her.

"Get some sleep."

She shook her head at the voice from above, smiling just a little at the familiar gruff voice she had grown so accustomed to. "No, you should. I'm not the one who nearly drowned today."

"Not from what I hear."

"Hmm?"

"A little kitty told me you practically drowned yourself looking for me… thanks."

"You're welcome."

"… She also said I was about to kill you."

"…"

"How come nobody else told me?"

"We… I… didn't want you to know."

"Well, dammit, why not?"

"Because I didn't want you to feel guilty about it, all right?" Her palms slammed the ground in frustration. "I know you weren't in control of yourself because I know…" Her voice sunk to a whisper. "I know you would never hurt me."

Suddenly afraid that the others had overheard, she scanned their sleeping faces in the firelight. _Phew… all eyes shut._

_I know I wouldn't… but still, I almost did. Dammit, what could have come over me?_

"Inuyasha, please… just…" _Hold me…_ She bit her lip. "Get some sleep. We'll talk about it later, I promise." She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping simultaneously for both what she asked, and what she wanted.

She didn't get either. He just squatted down beside her and stared silently into the fire, as wide awake and deep in thought as she. She sighed and poked the fire with the tip of her spear.

_Stubborn man… I'd feel at least a little better if we'd gotten the jewel shard. This whole incident is because of that accursed gem – curse whoever took it!_

Kaede and Miatsu each opened one eye. In truth, they were merely pretending to sleep; they were trying to listen in on the conversation, but were having little success hearing it clearly over Chuuko-san's boisterous snores. The two eyes met as they shared the same thought:

_Phooey._

XXXXX

Standing in a small moonlit pool above a waterfall, a disfigured hulk that was but recently a _kappa_ captain chuckled with glee. So what if he had lost nearly all his loyal underlings? He had his pretty jewel… so pretty… and so much _power_ it had given him!

He snatched up a sizable catfish that foolishly passed between his legs. _No more small fishies for me…_ He gulped his newest prey down and patted his already distended belly happily. The light of the tainted shard in his stomach gleamed through the webbing of his fingers.

"So pretty… so pretty, my pretty _GHULCK_!"

What he intended to say was forever lost as a slimy tentacle suddenly protruded from his abdomen; the dexterous tip coiled about the jewel shard, and the tentacle withdrew. Blood and bile and partially digested fish gushed out from front and back alike as the _kappa_ collapsed, his spine severed.

"And here I was wondering how to retrieve this from that _hanzaki_," said a voice behind him, cold as death. "It really _is_ easier to have someone else do the dirty work… and sometimes, even more entertaining."

A quavering webbed hand clutched at the trailings of his white baboon pelt raiment.

_As payment for services rendered, albeit unintentionally…_ Naraku manifested an _oni_'s arm and shattered the dying creature's skull with a single blow.

_I lost track of Inuyasha and his companions… how inconvenient! I must find a way to keep an eye on them…_

The cruelly calculating demon faded into the night.

Author's Notes:

The Japanese Giant Salamander is a real creature! It is known in Japan as the _hanzaki_, or the _osanshouo_ – literally, "giant pepper fish", so named for a milky secretion it produces, when threatened, that smells like pepper. They have very poor eyesight and no natural competitors… and some scholars think it may be the inspiration for the many legends of _kappa_, or water imps! (I always suspected the inspiration for _kappa _might be some kind of snapping turtle – especially after seeing _Ninja Turtles III_ – but there are no snapping turtles native to Japan.)

I've always been fond of stories where many small creatures take on a solitary giant one, and defeat it through teamwork (i.e., a group of knights slaying a dragon, sparrows taking on a hawk, biplanes shooting down a WWI-era blimp, etc.). Usually, though, the giant is a monster or villain of some sort, but I wanted to show that might not always be the case.

I originally wanted to make it a three-way all-out battle, but I just couldn't seem to choreograph it out in a workable way… probably due to the setting. The heroes just aren't used to fighting in or on water! There are few times they fight _on_ water – Kilala, Sango, and Miroku vs. the giant turtle demon and the tiger demon in the fourth movie, for example – and fewer still where they fight _in_ water. The most notable examples of submarine combat are Inuyasha and Sango's fight against the false water god (the one with the trident), and the fights against the salamander demon and catfish demon later in the series; I can't recall if the latter two are in the manga, or are anime-only.

In each situation, the characters can move about underwater with almost as much ease as on land – including the memorable scene where Inuyasha plows through the water _in profile_ to slice through the false water god; I can't recall for certain, but I even think Kilala's flaming paws _stayed_ flaming underwater… yay demon fire! Of course, a certain amount of license regarding bending the laws of physics is to be expected in a fantasy story (heck, almost _any_ anime or manga), but I do think that Inuyasha and co. should be at more than a little disadvantage when fighting on unfamiliar terrain… or especially on _no_ terrain, as in this case.

Which is why I really wanted to show what ordinary, but determined people – even kooky old men – can do when the doing needs done. Chuuko-san was completely made up on the fly, but I'd just had it with "civilian" characters in the Inuyasha universe who just roll over to demon attacks. Go Chuuko-san! By the way, _chuuko_ means "used", "second-hand", "old", or "Middle Ages". I'd say several of these definitions apply to him.

Can anyone identify the source of Miatsu's thought as he prepared to unleash the Wind Tunnel (the second time)? It's a movie quote – post your guess in a review.

_Kokuzoku_, for those new to the story, means "traitor". It's what Kaede used as the equivalent of Kagome's_ osuwari_ – "sit" (in the commanding, rather than inviting, sense).

Heh… "What'd you do _that_ for?" is a classic Takahashi line, though usually used by a different young man who frequently gets tossed into water… or water on him… poor Ranma draws water like a well.

I was so tempted to have the mutated _kappa_ say "gollum" when Naraku skewered him… I thought of Gollum (from _The Lord of the Rings_)fishing in the Forbidden Pool the _entire_ time I wrote that scene! But I refrained; why bring up more potential copyright issues than writing fanfiction already entails?

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this rather choppy chapter. Please review!


	4. Impressed

All characters, named weapons, and attacks borrowed from _Inuyasha_ are not my own, but belong to Takahashi-_dono_.

"**Impressed"**

"Chuuko-san, you have our thanks." Miatsu bowed low; the others, Inuyasha excepting, followed suit.

"No, lord monk and lady priestesses – ya have mine. I would surely be completely dead without yer protection on the river, instead of just nearly dead!" the old man cackled with his nearly-toothless grin. "And you too, Mr. Demon. I hear ya turned that big ol' _hanzaki_ aside just in time to save us all."

"Yeah, well…"

"Better watch that temper, though." He eyed Inuyasha crookedly. "Ya wouldn't want ta be treatin' any humans like you did them water imps."

"…"

"Anyways, I'll be settin' off now. Thank ye for yer help hidin' ma boat, too. Wouldn't want ta get it stolen by them raiders."

"Raiders?" Kaede asked skittishly.

"Aye, they been comin' around these parts lately; and not roaming bandits, mind – them raiders are from a vicious rival lord. That's why we need that wall repaired. Many thanks to ye for contributin', heh heh." He jangled the coin string tucked safely in his tunic.

"Again, you're quite welcome," Tsubaki replied for them all.

"Well, then, I'll take mah leave. Ya sure ya can't stay the night?"

"No," Inuyasha said flatly. _We're moving too slowly as it is… we need to get my sword fixed, and then find the rest of the Jewel! It's all the more apparent to me now; losing to a bunch of water imps and a stupid overgrown salamander – I'm still not strong enough._

"Alrighty then. Take care!" The old man trudged off along a narrow path and into the woods.

Inuyasha hefted the last bag onto Kilala. "What are you standing around for? We need to go!" He tapped his foot impatiently.

"He's getting cranky…" Kaede whispered to Tsubaki, giggling. "You're absolutely right, Inuyasha – we have to _go_. Which is why you boys will wait right here for a minute."

"_Eh?_ Why?"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Miatsu followed Chuuko out of earshot of the others.

"Chuuko-san!" he called in a loud whisper.

"Lord monk, seein' y'again so soon?"

"Do you happen to know the location of a nearby _onsen_? We'd love to wash up and rest a bit."

"Sure thing… there's a nice little village with a fine hot spring fer relievin' tension and healin' wounds about five miles thataway. Just head towards that there mountain and keep a sharp eye out – ya can't miss it."

"You have my thanks." Miatsu pressed another coin into his palm.

"Feel free to stop by if yer ever in the area again!"

"We will!" Miatsu hurried back to the others. _Excellent – it's right on the way to Mt. Akagi!_ "All set to move out?"

The scene where he had left them puzzled him, but only for a moment. The ladies were already hiking eastward towards the mountains without the men, Kilala close behind with the bags. And Inuyasha… _Oh… ouch!_

"Inuyasha, stop examining the ground so closely and let's go already!" Miatsu jibed as he jogged to catch up.

"Yeah, quit slowing us down!" Tsubaki teased him over her shoulder. "He _totally_ deserved that," she mock-whispered to Kaede.

Kaede sniffed disdainfully. "He had it coming. It takes time for a lady to relieve herself."

XXXXX

After walking for three hours, they broke for lunch on a small hillock.

_Let's see… we should be just about there…_ Miatsu strained his eyes and ears, hoping to see or hear some sign of the village Chuuko had directed him to. _Perhaps age has addled his mind?_

"We're lucky Shako gave us these waterproof packs for the food!" Kaede pronounced. "We'd have almost nothing edible without his foresight."

"Like me, he's probably used to traveling a lot – and he did know that we'd be traveling along the Tone River. Besides that, even a moderate rain can soak through and ruin food," Miatsu commented.

"Can we get _going_ already?" Inuyasha had wolfed down his rations and was tapping his foot impatiently. "_Humans_ are so _slow_…"

"And _dogs_ are so _whiny_…" retorted Kaede.

"And _growly_," Tsubaki added upon hearing Inuyasha's response to Kaede's jab.

"Ladies, ladies, please… haven't you berated the poor fellow enough?"

"Fine, fine… look, Inuyasha, we are only human," Kaede entreated. "We just can't keep up with you! But the fact is, you can't see or sense Jewel shards, so you need us just as much as we need you."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Now, then, your fidgeting is annoying the rest of us… quit whining and _sit_!"

The hanyou flinched at her last word, though he wasn't sure why. He hopped up into a nearby tree and sat.

"Good boy," murmured Kaede. "Who wants seconds?"

"I'll take some!"

"Me too!"

"Mew!"

XXXXX

They journeyed along a clearly seldom-used path most of the afternoon. As they walked along, Tsubaki taught and quizzed Kaede on various spells and enchantments priestesses her age would normally learn – in return, Kaede showed her some of the herblore Kikyou had taught her.

"Plants were never my strong suit," Tsubaki had admitted when she asked Kaede why she was picking and storing leaves from _yabu garashi_ bushes that lined the path.

"You seriously didn't know it relieves swelling and enhances detoxification. Geez, what kind of priestess _are_ you?"

_Well, I _was _a dark priestess… _"Well, what kind of priestess can't use _shikigami_?"

"Well, sor-_ry_ that my sister hadn't gotten… there…"

_Dammit, that was insensitive of me. _"Sorry."

"That's ok. I don't think I'll ever completely get over losing her, but I'm starting to get used to it." She smiled. "Besides, if she hadn't died, I wouldn't have all of you!"

Tsubaki returned the smile. "I know what you mean." _If not for Kikyou's death, Kaede and Inuyasha would not have come to my shrine with the Shikon Jewel, and Miatsu probably would have just continued on his way in the morning; I'd still be all alone._ "So. _This_… is _shikigami_ paper… it is made from…"

Miatsu chuckled at the two young women walking and talking and bonding in front of him. He'd been examining his hand until the conversation suddenly got interesting. _It was pretty useful for clearing away the water… I wonder how useful it will be as a weapon?_

"Hey, I smell smoke," Inuyasha said abruptly from the head of the line.

Kilala, bringing up the rear, raised her head and inhaled deeply. "Growr!" she quickly confirmed.

Miatsu scanned the sky. "I don't see any… not a forest fire or a pillaged village, then…" _ Come on, someone else pick up on what I'm thinking…_

"Hey, Inuyasha, do you think there's a village nearby?" Kaede asked excitedly.

"Who cares?" he snapped. "Let's keep going while there's still daylight."

"Oh, a village would be fantastic…" sighed Tsubaki. "I could sleep in a bed, get a nice hot bath…"

_Yes, yes, yes! _"We'll find out," Miatsu assured them. "Which way is it, my good man?"

Inuyasha gave him a withering stare that clearly meant, _Are you serious?_

Miatsu flashed the women a smile. "I'll convince him, ladies!" He bent his head to Inuyasha's conspiratorially. "You did catch what Tsubaki said about a _bath_, right?"

"I don't need one."

_That's debatable, but…_ "I'm not talking about you… I'm talking about _her_…" The lecherous monk nudged him.

Inuyasha blushed. "That didn't work out too well last time at Shako's village, if you remember," he hissed.

"That was _your_ fault, if _you_ remember. If _you_ hadn't been so indecisive about it, we would've been able to peek into the bathhouse _before _the men switched out with the women! Anyways, we might be able to get another shot at it… how about it?"

XXXXX

"All right, we found it!" Kaede whooped, breaking into a run. "Thanks, Inuyasha!" she called back.

_Mother, forgive me… _Inuyasha shook his bowed head and sighed, already regretting leading the band to the tiny village, despite the chance it might offer him to see… to see…

Tsubaki reached up to rub one of his ears. "Good boy." She winked at his startled, half-upset, half-embarrassed expression and hustled after Kaede. _Weird… normally he'd at least growl a bit…_

_How did I ever let Miatsu talk me into this… _

XXXXX

"Ooh, this feels so nice…" Tsubaki sank to her nose in the steaming _onsen_. She and Kaede were permitted by the villagers to use it as long as they wanted to – and alone, since they were priestesses!

"Uh-huh… and it's nice to not have the men around," Kaede amended. "Between the perpetual pervert and the permanent grump, I'm just plain worn out!"

_Inuyasha's not as grumpy as you seem to think he is… not all the time, anyway. _"Wait, Miatsu's been doing perverted things again?" Tsubaki asked skeptically.

"You didn't see him feeling up the village girls when he was reading their palms?"

"Must've missed it…" she shrugged. "I was busy doing the… 'exorcism'... Kaede, don't get mad if I kill him later for making me do all the work while he had all the fun." She kicked her legs angrily, splashing her companion.

"Hey, cut it out!" Kaede giggled. She cupped some water in her hands and flung it at Tsubaki. Waves and jets of water began flying back and forth, spattering the rocks at the edge of the pool.

"Mreowr…" Kilala sprang from her perch on one of those rocks. She did not take kindly to getting splashed. She had intended to keep watch for intruders – and peepers – but she'd had enough of getting wet to last her a _long_ time.

"Sorry, Kilala!" Kaede called after her, still laughing. "I'll fix you something nice to eat later!" She watched the twin tails swish silently in the torchlight and disappear into the dark green shrubbery.

"Ah, ha ha… ahhh… we should settle down. The villagers might get upset if we're too rambunctious." The priestess tilted back her head and let her long black hair drift in the rippling mineral water.

They soaked in silence for a bit before Kaede spoke.

"Do you think Miatsu's really all that bad a man?"

_I'm not sure how to answer that… _"What do you mean?"

"Well, he exterminates demons and helps people… but he also gives fake fortunes and acts like he wants to be… intimate… with random women."

_That's hardly uncommon for Buddhist monks nowadays, Kaede…_ "As long as the women don't object, I don't really see the harm in it… he's just a big flirt." _No need to go into detail about what he'd do if they actually took him up on it… not that it's likely. I'm not entirely convinced that he's actually serious about it – maybe it's just a bad habit._

"Still… I don't like it." Kaede drew her knees up to her chin and blew bubbles in the water.

Tsubaki gave her a sharp look. "He's not saying anything to or touching _you_ inappropriately, is he?"

Kaede was genuinely shocked at the suggestion. "Oh, no, he's never done that to _me_… I'm probably not pretty enough for him, anyway."

"Hey, now… you're a very attractive young lady!" _I honestly wouldn't put it past him… he made a pass at me practically the moment we met!_ "You're probably just too young for him."

She shook her head. "Mm-mm. I'm pretty certain some of the women he was flirting with weren't much older than me. But those girls probably already… you know… down there?"

"Had sex?" Tsubaki said bluntly, in no mood to beat around the bush.

"Oh, gosh, no!" Kaede's face bloomed crimson. "I mean… the monthly bleeding…"

Tsubaki's jew dropped. "Wait… you haven't started yet? I thought you were old enough… how old are you, anyway?"

"Nope." She sighed, looked down, and patted her chest. "It's kind of depressing. I'm only twelve, so I know I have a couple of years until then, but I have to operate in the adult world and do adult things without having the status of being an adult woman!" _And perhaps if I was an adult woman, I could understand how I feel about Miatsu…_

"Well, be glad of it while it lasts!" Tsubaki admonished. "That time of the month is certainly no fun for me." She grimaced at the thought of her unwelcome recurring visitor. _In another week, I'll be holding my gut and gritting my teeth to keep from groaning… one would think that priestesses, who are supposed to remain pure, would be blessed by the gods to be immune…_

"Oh, you get cramps?"

"Yeah… bad ones."

"Kikyou said hers weren't too bad. But to help the villagers, she taught me how to make medicine that helps relieve those cramps!" Kaede stood up and sloshed over to Tsubaki. "I'll make some for you, if I can find the ingredients!"

"Does it work?"

"Well, for some reason, the medicine I make isn't quite as effective as what she made, even when I follow her instructions exactly, but it works… usually."

"Well, I'll be glad to try it."

"Sure thing."

They sat in silence for a bit more. "You know, I don't think Miatsu would flirt with you like he does with village girls, even if you had started your monthly cycle."

"Why's that?"

"I have a guess or two, but the only one who knows what he's thinking is Miatsu himself. I think you'll have to ask him directly."

"Well, _that's_ not going to happen." Kaede folded her arms across her chest. "I don't want him thinking I'm _asking_ him to."

"I can understand that."

"So… could you ask him?"

"Forget it."

"I didn't think so. What about getting Inuyasha to ask him?"

"You're kidding, right?"

Kaede let out a long sigh. "Never mind."

XXXXX

Kilala munched another morsel of fish. Miatsu and Inuyasha had left the moment she came back. They set her a dish of grilled fish and a bowl of cow's milk (a rare treat!), then left as nonchalantly as possible. Kilala knew _exactly_ what they were up to, of course. But she was still upset about getting splashed, and then there was the milk… oh, what harm can a little peeping do?

She had never quite understood the human fascination with clothes, or the lack thereof. She understood _why_ they wore them, of course: with no fur, the silly humans were bound to get cold. And there were other practical purposes, like the armor Midoriko had always worn when anticipating combat, and the slayers' protective gear. But what was the big deal with seeing humans – specifically, humans of the opposite sex – without clothes? She shook her head, as puzzled as ever.

She finished her meal and commenced bathing in her own way.

XXXXX

About this time, Miatsu and Inuyasha were slowly slinking stealthily through the woods towards the hot spring. They had initially abandoned all hope of seeing the lovely ladies bathing until Kilala showed up back at the headman's house.

"I wonder why she left them alone?" Inuyasha muttered.

"Probably just means that there were no demons around, and it was safe to leave them alone," Miatsu breathed, "or she was hungry. Either way, it sure was a lucky break. Now, we're getting close to the spring, so _shh_!"

They crept closer. The spring lay within a small hollow, scarcely twenty feet away; they had chosen to approach from the opposite side of the sloping path to the spring, since the brush that would conceal their presence was thickest there.

Inuyasha gulped. _I can't believe I'm doing this… I can't believe I'm going to see Tsubaki… damn, why is my heart beating so loud?_

"_Easy… quiet, don't panic_," Miatsu mouthed. "_We're almost there._"

Cautiously, carefully, they peeked over the edge. Their eyes widened as their minds were enlightened by the naked bodies soaking in the spring by torchlight. They scooted back from the edge again.

"So that's what women look like…" Inuyasha wheezed.

"… when they get _old_," Miatsu finished for him. "Euugh… did _not_ need to see that."

Two sets of approaching footsteps completely escaped their notice until the steppers stood before them, mere profiles in the twilight.

"Impressed, boys?" Kaede snickered down at them.

"They should be, they've seen what real women really look like," Tsubaki hooted. "I knew you'd try to peep again, Miatsu, but _you_, Inuyasha… did you really want to look at me… that… much?" As she spoke she slowly bent down, and her robe top began to droop.

"Umm… err…" His eyes darted about as his heart and brain both began to race. _Should I look? Does she want me to look? Look where? Or does she want me to _not_ look? Should I just shut my eyes? Better take the safe route._

His eyes met hers for a microsecond.

"Too bad!" Before revealing anything, she snatched up the sagging neckline and stuck out her tongue. "Meh! Come on, Kaede, let's get to sleep… _alone_."

"Yes, let's. I'm sure the _puppy_ wants to get an early start tomorrow."

The two priestesses flounced off into the night.

Miatsu stared at Inuyasha. "Did she just… flirt with you?"

"Uhh… what?"

"Great," Miatsu muttered. "You're in shock just from a tease… guess it's a good thing we didn't see anything worthwhile – you probably would've passed out and fallen in!"

Inuyasha shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, well… you probably have stuff like that happen to you all the time, so you're used to it!"

"No, not really," Miatsu sighed. "I might flirt and all that, but none of the girls I come across are ever really interested in me – their flirtations in response are rarely that suggestive. They know I'm an itinerant monk; most women aren't foolish enough for a dalliance with a man they know will be long gone in a day or two. I _want_ a woman who will stay in my life, but I know it can't ever happen. It's kind of depressing… pitiful, really."

"So what's with all the flirting?"

"Have you ever been hungry?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Of course."

"Have you ever eaten anything, when you're hungry, that you normally wouldn't?"

"…Sometimes…"

"We'll, I'm hungry."

"But we just ate."

Miatsu sighed. "It's an analogy. Like eating something I normally wouldn't because I don't have any food that I want, no woman will stay with me, so I substitute being with lots of women who I already know won't stay… it hurts less that way."

"Oh, I see… you're right."

"What about?"

"That _is_ pitiful."

Miatsu smiled painfully. "Yep."

"What if a woman _would_ stay with you?"

"… Then that, my friend, would be _amazing_."

_Yeah… it would be. But what sort of woman would stay with a half-breed like me? Not to mention I'd never be able to keep my "dirty little secret" just that. I didn't even trust Kikyou with it, and I haven't told Tsubaki yet, either. Though she may have figured it out when I told her how my mother died…_

"Hey, Inuyasha… the old ladies have left the _onsen_ – it's empty. Are you up for a soak?"

"Not really."

"Aw, come on, it's no fun alone!"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"Oh, fine… suit yourself." The monk quickly scrambled over the edge, only to reappear a moment later surrounded by flying rocks and sticks. "Whoops! Time to retreat!"

The shrieks of the young ladies of the village, who had arrived at the spring just in time to witness the monk's attempted entry, echoed in their ears all the way back.

Author's Notes:

By now, you're probably noticing a pattern to the chapter titles – this pattern will continue for several more chapters, I think. The name in this case though is also a pun referring back to the previous chapter – just separate this one-word title into two words the right way, and you'll get it.

The region the gang is currently travelling through – somewhere near present-day Shibukawa – is apparently famous for its hot springs. Where, exactly, this village is, don't ask…


	5. Dressed and Pressed

All characters, named weapons, and attacks borrowed from _Inuyasha_ are not my own, but belong to Takahashi-_dono_.

"**Dressed and Pressed"**

"Can we get going already?"

_There he goes again…_ "Inuyasha, you hassle us about hurrying again, and I'll use the incantation," Kaede threatened.

"Hmph." The _hanyou_ disappeared through the doorway, but they could hear his foot-tapping continuing.

"Still, I can understand his concern," Miatsu commented. "I'd want to hurry and get my weapon fixed if it was in danger of breaking, no matter how slight. So, can we compromise a bit here?"

"Yeah, yeah… just let me finish doing my hair." Tsubaki was pleating it into a single long braid behind her head. "It gets in the way too much to fight effectively when I leave it loose, so I'm trying something different." She finished entwining the trio of tresses and deftly tied a small strip of white linen around the end. "There. Finished."

"Let's go, then," said Kaede from the door. "We shouldn't keep him waiting."

XXXXX

They set out in mid-morning after bidding their hosts farewell; Kaede stuck close to Miatsu to ensure that he didn't linger too long with the young women.

Inuyasha couldn't help but sneak glances at Tsubaki's new hairstyle as they followed a little-used path that gently sloped up towards the base of the mountain. _She looks nice that way… not quite so formal or out-of-reach. _He was thinking about saying something about it when a low rumble in the distance derailed his train of thought.

"What's that?"

"What's what?" asked Miatsu. "Oh… _that_… thunder?"

"There's hardly any clouds," Tsubaki countered. "Maybe an earthquake?"

"Wouldn't we feel an earthquake, too, if we could hear it?" Kaede inquired. She'd been through a few rough ones – she didn't like them one bit.

"We're getting close to the mountains… maybe an avalanche?" Miatsu suggested.

"It _does_ seem to be coming closer," Inuyasha verified, his ears twitching. The trees in front of them began to tip over and crash to the ground, presumably bowled over by the rumbling rocks; flocks of screeching birds took wing to escape.

"Everyone get ready to move!" Kaede was closer, so Inuyasha hefted Kaede onto his back as Miatsu and Tsubaki mounted Kilala.

"Inuyasha, I can see a jewel shard – it's coming straight for us!"

A large brown form burst out of the woods; reflexively, Inuyasha sprang into the air as Kilala took flight.

"That… is one mad cow," Miatsu summarized.

The bulky brown bovine stomped its huge hooves and snorted menacingly. The third eye in the middle of its massive forehead gleamed with the eerie light of a tainted Shikon jewel shard. The eye swiveled independently of the other two and fixated on Kaede.

"Moo-OOO!"

Inuyasha came to rest lightly on top of a large tree. The cow's horns came almost level to them.

"You know, I could swear we've done this before," remarked Kaede drily, "except that goat-thing wasn't quite this big. The acid spray from its eyes really did a number on you."

"Don't remind me – my feet still hurt thinking about it."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have kicked it, then."

"Well, how else was I supposed to knock the shard out of its head, my sword kept bouncing off!"

"Uh, guys? Less talk, more action?" called Miatsu.

"Right. Sorry. Eyes front, Inuyasha."

"Hey, _I'm_ the one keeping _you_ from getting trampled, here. But, speaking of eyes, that _is_ where the shard is, right?"

"Yeah, in its center eye."

"Good. It shouldn't be too hard to kill this thing, then." _Not like last time, when it was in the serow's skull, making it super-tough. _Kilala had just landed a short distance away near a copse of peach trees, so he bounded over to the others and left Kaede in the care of the others. "I'll just be a minute, here."

He turned to face the beast, claws bared.

XXXXX

Several minutes later, Inuyasha was actually getting fatigued; every attempt to remove the shard from the rampaging cow had failed.

"Inuyasha, use the Tetsusaiga!" Kaede called.

"I would if I could!" he snapped back as he dodged the brute's swashing horns yet again. _I started to draw it once, but it didn't start to transform. It must be because I don't have to protect any humans right now. So what am I supposed to do, let it attack a village and _then_ use the Tetsusaiga?_

At that moment, like a timely and yet inopportune answer to prayer, a nearly bald old man with bulging eyes and dressed in a striped green kimono burst from the forest, waving what looked like a long metal pole over his head and yelling as he approached the battle.

"Perfect," Inuyasha smirked. He grasped the hilt of his father's heirloom; as he pulled out the blade, its true form appeared. "Time for that thing to _die_!"

Faintly, Inuyasha heard the old man holler: "Wait! Don't hurt…!"

The rest of his words were masked by another loud low.

"What did he say, Inuyasha?" asked Miatsu, who was perfectly content to observe the battle.

"Something about… peaches?" _Ah… he must be talking about the peach trees the others are standing near – this must be his orchard._ "Don't worry, old man, I won't hurt your peaches – and I'll keep this thing from trampling them, to boot!" Inuyasha sprang into the air, sword raised high.

A burst of flame from below singed his feet, and his swing went astray as he eluded the blaze. _Damn! The cow? No… it was… him! What the…_

A last few wisps of flame drifted from the old man's mouth as he spoke, clearly and crankily: "Oh, to think that the great demon sword I made would be used to assault my own steed! It breaks the heart! Still, you must be Inuyasha, yes? Use the Tetsusaiga if you must, but please don't kill my Momo!"

"Uh… _what_?"

"Inuyasha, the cow belongs to him! Don't kill it!" Tsubaki summarized.

"You've _got_ to be kidding!" he bellowed back as he dodged the beast's slashing horns by a hair's breadth.

"Momo!" The old man ran into the beast's line of sight. Its eyes widened in obvious recognition of its master for a split second before narrowing again in even more obvious rage. It stamped its hooves and charged, head lowered and mooing madly.

"Get out of the way, old man!" Inuyasha sprang to scoop him up before he got tramplied, impaled, or otherwise maimed. _If he dies, Tetsusaiga will probably transform back… crap, I'm not going to get to him in time!_

It turns out he didn't have to. As the beast drew near, the old man sprang into the air, hoisting the pole overhead.

"Hyoh!" He swung the pole down. The clear ringing of the solid metal hammerhead at its end was only somewhat dampened by the sickening thud it simultaneously created when it impacted the beast's skull. The beast's head slammed to the ground, scattering earth.

"Now, Inuyasha, strike while Momo is down!" The old man called.

"What's Momo? And how do you know my name?"

"Forget that for now and hit the cow, _dummy_ – but don't kill it!" Kaede called. He flashed her an irritated glare in response before reversing his sword.

_Here goes…_

"TETSUSAIGA!"

Author's Notes:

I just keep doing more cliffhangers, don't I? Sorry for the comparatively short chapter, but things have been busy lately. The job hunt has just ended, but the house hunt is just beginning… add in doing some work for family and assorted visits, and it's been _crazy_!

I'm sure just about anyone familiar with Inuyasha can identify the crazy old coot with the hammer…


End file.
